I've been reading an edifying book on finding God's will for your life. I love its full title—Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will*******OR*******How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc.In this book author Kevin DeYoung tackles a problem we all face at some time or other: what to do when we have to make a decision on something the Bible doesn't specifically address. DeYoung advocates "walking the way of wisdom" in our decision-making through regular intake of Scripture just like our regular intake of food.
But the Bible is not a casebook. It doesn't give us explicit information about dating or careers or when to build a church or buy a house. We've all wished that the Bible was that kind of book, but it's not because God is interested in more than getting us to follow His to-do list; He wants transformation. God doesn't want us to merely give external obedience to His commands. He wants us to know Him so intimately that His thoughts become our thoughts, His ways our ways, His affections our affections. God wants us to drink so deeply of the Scriptures that our heads and hearts are transformed so that we love what He loves and hate what He hates. (pp. 91-92, emphasis added)As we digest the Word of God over a period of time we gain insight into the character of God; we learn His likes and dislikes. We become more like Him and desire to glorify Him. This is walking in the fear of the Lord, which is wisdom. The wisdom we receive from God will guide us in tough decisions.
I hope to say more about this book in the near future. In the meantime check out the helpful reviews by Tim Challies and Dan Phillips.
DeYoung, Kevin. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009) paperback, 128 pages.
This was timely. I was speaking with a friend last night about the issue of discerning God's will. The way DeYoung states it here is excellent. We are often looking for a road map instead of a relationship, but God graciously directs through the later. I told my friend that I believe that if God gave us clear directions (if the Bible was more of a casebook), we wouldn't want anything to do with it because we don't like to be told what to do.
ReplyDeleteRelationships take time and effort, don't they?
Yes, they do. And the danger with relationships is that one or both parties can become impatient with the other because of false expectations (frequently due to selfishness). This can happen on our part in our relationship with the Lord.
ReplyDeleteDeYoung stresses that our dealings with God are a lifelong pursuit, not an occasional query with a satisfactory (to us) answer. God wants His people to get to know Him and let that knowledge of Him guide us in our decisions.
If the Bible were a casebook, we would likely face a conundrum: we want to be told what to do, but we don't want to be told what to do.